To say I had been avoiding this peak wouldn’t be 100% accurate. However I definitely had not been jumping at the opportunity to do it. This was going to be a hard, long day.
Mt Binser (1,860m) stands tall against the skyline as you drive past Lake Pearson heading to Arthur’s Pass.
Having mapped this route out I knew I would be doing somewhere in excess of 1600 vertical climbing meters. Not that it is so steep but more there are two major high points that have to be climbed then descended to reach the summit.
I started things off early leaving the car at 7:45am. My plan was to walk the Binser Saddle track to the saddle then peel off and bushbash my way to the open tops and proceed to climb!
The Binser Saddle Track is a lovely piece of track, perfect to warm the legs up on. After about an hour I found myself at the saddle and looking for any indication of a trail heading off towards Binser. There were none. So, I did my best bulldozer impersonation and plowed through the dense native bush.
I came across a steady creek not long after starting and decided to walk up stream. Before long, I clinbed out of the creek via an old land slip.
From here on out, things got steep! This first ascent was a serious calf burner! There were many stops to catch my breath, have water and give the legs a break.
Over an hour went by then I finally breached my first high point. Oh it felt good to have a lie down. Before I even had the chance to take my pack off, I startled a beautiful Chamois! Less than 10 meters away from each other I think we both gave each other a good fright!
One high point down, one to go.
A steep decent to a lovely saddle saw me climbing far to soon again. Having not listened to my request, the hillside stayed incredibly steep right the way to the top.
Finally, two high points down, the final climb to the summit was all that remained.
To say the final climb wasn’t as steep would be a marginal statement to make.
A mixture of tired legs, a hungry stomach and many drink breaks saw the final climb eventually beaten.
Four hours after leaving the car I was standing on the summit.
It felt fantastic to lay down in the sun. It gave my clothes a chance to somewhat dry out, refuel and rehydrate.
It felt good getting to the top of this peak as I knew it would be a tough day and one that would push me.
After a good break at the top, it was time to head back down, then up, the down, the back up before finally heading down and back to the car.
In typical fashion I found some nice scree to cruise down on before finding the source of the creek I was walking up earlier. The creek, quite literally began by trickling out from between a few rocks before more and more water joined the waterway. That, was something pretty cool to see.
The walk out was uneventful and I was very pleased to see the car
Food and water were consumed. A change of clothes and few slaps at sandflies made for a great end to a long day.
#36 Mt Binser – 1,860, 15.1km, 6 hours, 45 minutes
Till next time.